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From the desk of
Rabbi Perry
Tirschwell
In atypical week which was bereft
of Jewish holidays and special guest speakers, there
were two issues that
consumed the hearts and minds of the entire
student body at WYHS;
The terrible
tragedy that has befallen southern Asia- The
school
helped focus the students on fulfilling their
responsibility
as human beings to open their hearts to empathize
and their wallets to donate generously to
Tsunami
relief. Take out a minute to watch the powerful
powerpoint presentation the students created. I
invite you to participate in our Tsunami Relief Fund
by clicking here
to donate funds.
The quickly approaching end of the
first
half of the year- Our learning specialist Ms.
Sardano has been meeting with freshman and
sophomore classes to help them prepare well and in
advance for the approaching midterm exams.
She has shared the key points with you
below.
Shabbat
Shalom
Rabbi Perry Tirschwell
Principal
| The Week in Review |
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by
sophomore Chava
Rubin
Our students are taking seriously the devastation
along the Indian Ocean rim and have started a
Tsunami Relief Fund to help the victims.
Last Friday, WYHS Founder Rabbi Kenneth
Brander delivered a powerful message to the
students about the theological and practical
messages of the calamitous Tsunami that hit the
countries bordering the Indian Ocean.
On Tuesday, the students launched the
Tzedakah project, which is a competition
between the
boys and girls to see who will collect the most
money. The funds raised will all go to organizations
providing aid
to the survivors.
This Tzedakah drive was
introduced on Tuesday morning with an eye-
opening
powerpoint presentation on the affects of the
Tsunami by
juniors
Batya Weiss and
Tuvia Brander, followed by an inspiring speech by
junior Jesse Esquenazi. It is rewarding for us to be
able to do our small part to help others in addition to
growing ourselves.
Clicking on the left
picture above will start a download of a
powerpoint
presentation.
This
will work if you have powerpoint on your PC. If you
don't you can download a viewer by
clicking
here.
Our newly formed School Environment Committee
took its first step this week with the help of Dr.
Norman Blumenthal, a nationally renowned adolescent
psychologist. He is one of the founders of the
groundbreaking organization of Orthodox Jewish
mental health professionals called Nefesh. Dr.
Blumenthal shared his experience and expertise with
our student council and other representatives from
grades ten, eleven, and twelve. He addressed issues
such as bullying, cliques, and what we can do about
them. With this new committee and the help of Dr.
Blumenthal, we will be able to better our school
environment.
On
Monday evening, Dr. Blumenthal gave this year's
third parent
education seminar. In an organized and lucid
fashion, Dr. Blumenthal addressed the topic
of "Discussing Without
Blushing- Talking about Drugs, Sex, Death and Other
Taboo Subjects with Your Teen".
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| Great Tips on Preparing for Midterms |
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by Ms. Dana Sardano, Learning
Specialist
With midterms right around the corner, here are a
few tips about how to get organized and prepared,
and how to avoid a nervous breakdown.
Begin organizing materials NOW! Collect and
correct any old tests and quizzes, even the ones
crumpled in the bottom of your locker. Organize your
notebooks, filling in areas that you might have missed
along the way.
Review your materials TODAY and prepare a
list of questions to ask your teacher during review
week, ie: format, unclear topics, etc.
Prioritize your study schedule. Make a list of
your exams and prioritize by hours you must invest
and when the exam will be taken.
Make a reasonable study schedule. Make a
schedule that includes all of your available study time
and fill it in with your priority list beginning with your
first priority.
Study in increments. It is not wise to study
for 3 hours in one night for a test when you can split
it up into three 1 hour nights. You have a better
chance of retaining the information when you learn it
in smaller pieces.
Get plenty of sleep. If you begin your
preparation now, there will be NO NEED for an all
nighter.
And last but not least- Do not panic! When
the brain
is in distress it shuts off. Take your time, pace
yourself, and it will all pay off.
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| Yeshiva Storm Is Victorious |
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On Sunday,
the Girls Varsity Basketball team played a
scrimage against the Hillel Day School of
Boca Raton Middle
School basketball team at the Levis JCC in
Boca. The unique game pitted not only close friends
against each others, but three pairs of siblings on
opposing teams as well (see the lower picture at
left). The idea for the game came
about
when Rabbi Tirschwell
davened one
morning at Hillel and invited the 8th graders for a
Shabbat meal. They accepted (and set a new
girls meatball record!), and asked
him if they could play the high school varsity. The
Hillel team is very proud of the tremendous
progress they have made this year, and were up for
a challange. The Storm was thrilled with the
game, because they saw that there are great
players "coming up the pipes". As was to be
expected, the score was somewhat lopsided, but a
great time was had by all.
Thanks to Athletic Director
Melissa Pereira for arranging this real feel good
event, which culminated in pizza and soda
for the
teams. In its other games this week, Girls
Varsity
Basketball team faced two worthy opponents, Boca
Christian and Lake Worth Christian. Although the
defense stepped up, unfortunately they
were defeated. Both sophomores Leah Bensimon and
Shira Borzak played exceptionally well with
tremendous rebounds by Leah and seven steals by
Shira. Sophomore Alyssa Muckley was the high
scorer in the Lake Worth Christian game, with 18
points. As the team advances toward the district
playoff, the teams fervor to win also
increases.7th Heaven- Boys Varsity Sets A New
Record
by senior Joey
Abady
The Storm rebounded from last week's heart-breaking
loss to Hebrew Academy in convincing fashion, with
an impressive 69-37 victory over the Boca
Christian
Blazers. The win improved Yeshiva's record to 6-4
and sent a powerful message to the rest of the
district; that this season's Storm is a team to be
reckoned with. The victory was sealed
during a
dominant second quarter, where the Storm
outscored
Boca Christian 27-11. Juniors Jonathan Struhl and
Daniel Poliak provided the offense, scoring 18 and 15
points respectively. Guards juniors Moshe Genet and
Brian
Surasky also contributed to the offensive surge with
4 points a piece. Senior Dovi Lamet also led the
Storm to victory with a valiant defensive effort that
included a season-high 4 steals and 6
rebounds. The Storm continued
their winning ways Thursday night with a memorable
60-51 defeat over the Morningside High School
Eagles. The win marked Yeshiva's 7th victory of the
season, which is now the school's new record for the
most regular season wins. The historic night was
capped off with an incredible offensive performance
by Daniel Poliak who recorded a season-high 25
points. Senior Yoni Schiff was also a key contributor
scoring 9 points. Coach Jon Kaweblum's game-plan
worked to perfection, as the Storm set the tempo
early and never looked back. The Storm played a
mistake-free game and were rewarded with a hard
earned victory.These inspiring performances
were a great way to kick off the
home stretch of the regular season and will
hopefully be a
sign of more good things to come out of this already
remarkable season.
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| The Race To Winter Vacation |
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To help students prepare for midterms the week of
January 17, there will be no tests and no
Thursday night and Sunday morning mishmar the
week of Monday, January 10- Sunday, January
16.
This coming Tuesday's Rosh Chodesh
Shvat
program will follow up on the theme of this
year's
school shabbaton, focussing on Hakarat Hatov
(gratitude).
Next Saturday night, the Yeshiva
Storm Boys Varsity
Basketball Team will play its first game against
Hillel Community Day School of North Miami
Beach, at the Michael Ann Russell JCC in NMB at
8:30 PM.
Two Midterm Exams will
take place on each
day, Monday-
Wednesday, January 17-19. School starts at 8:00
a.m. and students can leave when they are done
with their second exam (some time between 12:30
p.m. and 1:45 p.m.). The well deserved Winter
vacation begins after the second final on
Wednesday. School resumes on Monday, January
31.
After the end of midterms on Wednesday, January
19, there will be a Freshman Night Out-
details to follow.
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WYHS & NMB-
A Match
Made in Heaven |
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This Shabbat, many members of the
Judaic
faculty and their families are travelling to
North Miami Beach(NMB) to spend
Shabbat
with the
students and their families. Both the families and the
faculty look forward to this opportunity to get to
know each other better.
Over 20 WYHS students hail from North
Miami Beach,
Aventura and environs. WYHS goes to great lengths
to serve these students and their families.
Students who attend Sunday mishmar do not have to
travel all the way to Boca! Every Sunday, Judaic
Studies teacher Rabbi Chaim Lanner drives to
NMB to run mishmar at Shaaray Tefillah.
Sunday mishmar is also run simultaneously in Boca,
Hollywood, and Miami Beach.
The administration of WYHS looks for
opportunities to get input from the "non-Boca"
parents. The Town Meetings run in each community
twice a year are an excellent vehicle for this. The
Fall Town Hall Meeting which took place before
Chanuka was attended by almost every NMB
family.
WYHS is ably represented in North Miami Beach by
NMB resident Assistant Principal Mrs. Ora Lee
Kanner. Mrs. Kanner gives a public shiur
(lecture) once a month which regularly draws over
150 women.
Recently, our students were privileged to be inspired
by Rabbi Ephraim Shapiro, the Rabbi of
Congregation Shaaray Tefillah. His making the trip
to Boca on a fast day speaks volumes about his
commitment to the teenagers of his community and
to our school.
Next Saturday night, the Yeshiva Storm will
be taking their game on the road as they face off
with the Hillel Community High School at the Michael
Ann Russell JCC in NMB at 8:30 p.m..
The great students who commute to WYHS from NMB
are a vital part of the school's success, and
the school looks forward to continuing to service this
great WYHS community as the school continues to
grow.
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GOOD and WELFARE
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| Refuah Shleima to board member Bernie Oppenheim |
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